Early Civilizations in India and China

India• Geography: The Indian

Subcontinent– Indus valley is located in the

region India– Subcontinent- large landmass

that juts out from a continent• India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh

– Mountain ranges, Hindu Kush and Himalayas are at the Northern border• Limited contact with India and

other lands- Cultural Diversity

Three Regions• Northern Plain– Well watered, just south of the mountains– Many rivers- Indus, Ganges, Brahma putra• Carried melting snow down the mountains

• Deccan Plateau– Dry and triangular shaped, juts into ocean• Lacks snow that come from the mountains, land is dry

• Coastal Plains– Separated from Deccan by low lying mountain

ranges-Eastern and Western Ghats• Rivers and seasonal rains provide water

• Monsoons- Seasonal winds and rain– In Oct. winds flow hot dry air– In June, moisture flows over and drenches crops

• Cultural Diversity – India’s big size & diverse landscapes made it hard

to unite

• Indus Valley Civilization– Emerged in what is present day Pakistan (2500BC)– Flourished for 1000 years– Archeologists discovered the once prosperous

cities• Have not uncovered all• Indus Valley covered largest area of any civilization until

the rise of the Persian Empire

• Well Planned Cities– Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, twin capitals

• Both large, 3 miles in circumference• Massive hilltop structure (fortress or temple)• Had warehouses to store food surplus • All houses built of uniform oven-fried clay bricks• Modern plumbing systems, with baths, drains, water

chutes that lead to sewer beneath streets

• Farming and Trade– Grew wheat, barley, melons and dates– First people to cultivate cotton and weave fibers

into cloth– Merchants and traders• Ships carried cargos of cotton, grain, copper, pearls and

ivory

• Religion– Finding of many statues shows they were

polytheistic – Mother goddess wildly honored– Worshipped sacred animals, (bull), -Indian beliefs

• Decline and Disappearance – 1750 BC, quality of life was declining, order

became unstable • Causes- Ecological disasters- Volcanic eruptions,

earthquakes, deforestation• Aryans, migrated and overtook land with horse drawn

carriages

Kingdom of the Ganges• The Vedic Age– Aryans migrated across

Europe and Asia seeking water and pasture for horses and cattle

– Early Aryans didn’t build cities

– Most of what we know comes from the Vedas- Collection of prayers, hymns, and other religious teachings

• Aryan priests recited and memorized the Vedas 1000 years before they were written down

• 1500BC-500BC known as Vedic Age

• Aryan Society-Divided people by occupation– Brahmins- Priests, claimed they alone could

conduct ceremonies needed to win favor of the gods

– Kshatriyas- Warriors, first enjoyed highest prestige, priests eventually gained most respect

– Vaisyas- Herders, farmers, artisans and merchants

• Aryans felt superior to the Dravidians, people they conquered – Dravidians descended from original inhabitants of

Indus Valley– Non-Aryans, separated into fourth group, the Sudras-

farm workers, servants, laborers

• Class divisions came to reflect social and economic roles more than racial differences

• Became castes, social groups into which people are born and from which they cannot change

Varna (Social Hierarchy)

Shudras

Vaishyas

Kshatriyas

Pariahs [Harijan] UntouchablesPariahs [Harijan] Untouchables

Brahmins

• Aryan Religious Beliefs– Polytheistic– Worshipped Gods and Goddesses that

embodied natural forces – Honored animals– Brahmins offered sacrifices of food and drink – Eventually religious leaders wanted one

spiritual power • Brahman-resided in all things• Mystics- People who devote their lives to seeking

spiritual wealth • Meditation and Yoga- Mystics looked for direct

communication with divine forces

• Expansion and Change – Aryans travelled over

mountain passages into Northwest India

– Aryan tribes were lead by chiefs called rajahs, most skilled war leader

• Colonization of Ganges– Made tools out of

Iron– Made cities in the

jungle, rajahs ruled them

– Developed written language, Sanskrit• Priests began

writing sacred texts

• Heroic Deeds and Morals– Mahabharata

– Ramayana

Early Civilization in China

• Geography: The Middle Kingdom– Ancient Chinese called their land the Zhongguo,

the Middle Kingdom– Very isolated• Long distances and physical barriers kept it from Egypt,

the Middle East and India• Isolation contributed to belief that China was the

center of the Earth– Sole source of civilization

• Geographic Barriers– To the West and

Southwest of China, high mountains, Tien Shan and Himalayas

– Southeast, full of thick jungles divided China from Southeast China

– North, Gobi Desert– East, Pacific Ocean

• The barriers didn’t stop the Chinese from trading with other people, the Middle East

• Nomads and invaders entered China and accepted Chinese superiority

• Main Regions– Chinese heartland

lay along the east coast and the valleys of Huang He (Yellow River) and the Yangtze• Fertile farming

region supported large populations

• Other Regions:– Xinjiang,

Mongolia, Manchuria

– China also extended influence on Himalayan region Tibet and Xizang

• River of Sorrows– Huang He got its name

from the loess, fine windblown yellow soil

– Earned nickname, “River of Sorrows”, as loess settles to the river bottom, it raises water level • Overflowing river killed

many

• Shang Dynasty– 1650BC, people

called the Shang gained control of Northern China, near Huang He

– Dominated region until 1027BC, during this time Chinese civilization took shape

– Government • Archaeologists uncovered

large palaces and rich tombs of Shang rulers• Noble women had

considerable status• King controlled small area,

princes and nobles loyal to King governed most of the land• Heads of important clans,

groups of families that claimed a common ancestor

– Social Classes• Royal Family

• Shang warriors- used leather armor, bronze weapons, and horse drawn chariots

• Artists and Merchants- Produced goods for nobles, organized trade

• Peasants- Clustered together in farming villages, all families worked in the fields, had to prepare damns for the flooding rivers

• Religious Beliefs– In Shang Dynasty the Chinese

developed complex religious beliefs

– Prayed to many Gods and nature spirits• Shang Di- Mother Goddess

– Veneration of Ancestors• Shang Di would not respond to

mere mortals, only to spirits of greatest mortals • Prayed to Ancestors to pray to

God

• Yin and Yang– Delicate balance

between two forces– Yin- Linked to Earth,

darkness and female forces

– Yang- Stood for Heaven, light and male forces• Forces were not in

opposition, depended on harmony

• System of Writing– Ideographs- Signs

that expressed thoughts or ideas

– Consulted ancestors with Chinese writing written on oracle bones, used by priests to predict the future

– Written Chinese took shape almost 4,000 years ago

– Over time, evolved to include tens of thousands of characters

– Most difficult language to learn

– Chinese scholars turn to calligraphy, fine handwriting, into an art form

The Zhou Dynasty • Around 1027BC, the Zhou people overthrew the

Shang dynasty• Zhou dynasty lasted until 256BC

• Mandate of Heaven– The Zhou justified their

takeover of the Shang by declaring they had a divine right to rule

– Declared cruelty of last Shang ruler outraged the gods

– Gods passed mandate of heaven (Devine right to rule)to the Zhou, who then treated the people well

• Dynastic Cycle– The rise and fall of

dynasties– As long as a

dynasty provided good government it would enjoy the mandate of heaven

– If rulers became corrupt, Chinese believed Heaven would withdraw support

• Feudal State– Rewarded supporters by granting them control over

different regions– China became a feudal state– Feudalism- a system of government in which local lords

governed their own lands but owed military service and other forms of support to the ruler

– Zhou kings ruled China and enjoyed great power and prestige for 250 years

– After 771 BC, feudal lords exercised the real power and profited from the lands worked by peasants, within in their domains (rule)

• Economic Growth– China’s economy grew under the

Zhou period– Learned ironworking in 500BC• Iron axes, ox-drawn iron plows,

replaces wooden and stone tools

– Peasants grew new crops, such as soybeans• Feudal lords organized large-scale

irrigation works

– Chinese began to use money for the first time • Copper coins had holes in the center

to be strung on cords • Merchants benefited from new roads

and canals

– Economic expansion lead to an increase in population

– People from the Huang He heartland overflowed into central China and began to farm the immense Yangzi basin

– Feudal nobles expanded their territories and encouraged peasants to settle there

– China increased in size, population and prosperity

• Chinese Achievements– Astronomers studied the

movements of planets and recorded eclipses of the sun• Developed an accurate 365 ¼

calendar

– Chinese discovered how to make silk around 1000BC• Became China’s most valuable

export, trade route between China and Middle East was the Silk Road

– Chinese made the first books • Bound thin strips of wood or

bamboo